Ministry must admit question leaks: Zafar Iqbal

Ministry must admit question leaks: Zafar Iqbal

Noted author Prof Muhammad Zafar Iqbal (middle) and other renowned persons take part in a sit-in at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital on Friday protesting the recent rise of question paper leak. Photo: Firoz Khan

If the higher authorities of the education board or ministry are not linked to question paper leaks, how could it happen repeatedly, Prof Iqbal questioned.

"Even it is a matter of regret that the ministry is yet to admit the reality," he came down heavily while expressing solidarity with a sit-in at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital on Friday morning protesting the recent rise of question paper leak during public examinations.

Prof Muhammad Zafar Iqbal takes part in a sit-in at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital on Friday. Photo: Courtesy

Defying the rains in the morning, a group of Buet and Dhaka University students began the demonstration demanding exemplary punishment of the people involved with the question paper leak.

Terming question paper leak as a "great disaster" for the nation, Prof Zafar Iqbal said this trend had been lowering the students' self-esteem.

Protesters form a sit-in against the recent allegations of question paper leak in public examinations at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital on Friday. Photo: Courtesy

Eminent citizens, teachers and guardians joined the programme demanding answers from the authorities concerned for the question paper leak and exemplary punishment of the perpetrators.

Eminent citizens, writers, teachers and guardians are staging demonstration braving rains at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital on Friday. Photo: Courtesy

One of the participants of the sit-in Naziur Rahman, a third-year student of Buet, said they would campaign in different schools and colleges in the country against the question leak till next Thursday.

"If the ministry does not admit the question leak, we will hold another sit-in here," he told the rally.

The protesters earlier on May 24 organised a Facebook event to protest the ministry's move to hold examination even after the allegation of Mathematics Paper-I question paper was leaked in the social media the night before.

In the wake of leakage of question papers of public examinations, the government was dismissing it as "rumour", the protesters alleged.

Prof Zafar Iqbal holds a placard against question paper leak in the public examinations at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital on Friday. Photo: Courtesy

Since the exam began on April 3, there have been repeated allegations that question papers of some subjects, including English second paper, two papers of both physics and chemistry, got leaked.

The board had to postpone the English second paper exam following such allegations.

The education ministry and the Dhaka Board authorities then formed two committees to inquire into the leak.

The committees were given 15 days to submit the reports, but they sought more time.

Some 11,41,374 examinees are taking the exams from 8,104 educational institutions across the country.

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